The Ancient Void Terror moved rapidly through the Void heading for the Prison Plane. The sealed Prison Plane was the only location close enough to ensure its prize would survive. It was unwilling to risk losing the favor promised by the small one. Deep within the depths of the mind that thought in more than a few dimensions, it knew that if the small one died, the favor would become unmerciful oblivion.

It didn’t know how it knew that, but it did.

Traveling the Void was effortless for the Ancient Void Terror as it devoured anything that approached. Ships made of strange lights, other weaker versions of itself, a few Cthulhu fragments, and two dead planets. Nothing escaped the grasp of the Void, and everything within was food for it.

Finally, a tiny line of silver began to expand in the endless darkness. The Ancient Void Terror picked up speed, teleporting the same distance as a Major Planet with each motion. The sliver of silver grew larger and larger, until the entire Void in front of the creature was a wall of endless shifting silver dust.

The Ancient Void Terror approached the wall, a creature that could consume entire Planes such as it, a mere dot in front of the Dust.

“Intruder?” the Dust said.

The Ancient Void Terror shook itself expressing a firm negative. Fighting the Dust was suicide, any within this section of the Void knew it to be so. A tendril extended from the Ancient Void Terror like an offering of a mortal to a deity.

The Dust took the tiny scrap of parchment their form shifting over the paper for several long moments before they said, “Fifty-fifty?”

The Ancient Void Terror nodded in agreement. The Dust could end it with a single blow, but it was moments like these that showed the true level of foresight a superior entity had.

“I will handle transport the rest of the way, agreed?” the Dust said.

The Ancient Void Terror nodded, before departing leaving the Dust along with the prize. There was no worry of betrayal, the word of silver was beyond gold in the Void.

Several minutes passed as the Dust shifted over the spatial manipulations of the Dungeon Core that had accompanied the slip of paper until a weakness was found. Moving inside, the Dust examined the creatures within the orb searching for the scent of the promised favor provider.

A single tube of plants held the same scent of blood as the slip of paper, and the Dust extended itself inside the crude life-extension plant. Silver particles entered the hibernation chamber flowing over the female humanoid within tasting her mana. A tiny cut was slowly healing on her hand, and the Dust entered the open gateway into the body flowing endlessly for several minutes inside. After mapping the soul mana structures, the Dust exited the body.

A connection to the Darkness, indeed. Dust thought. Too weak to survive transit, though.

It was a conundrum. In order to collect the favor, the precious link of lineage could not be severed by death. Unlike the Ancient Void Terror, the Dust knew exactly what would happen were the small human female to die.

Extinction.

Several more minutes passed as calculations were made among the semi-hivemind of the Dust. Options were presented, offered, and chosen until a pathway was finally acceptable to all. It would require a sacrifice from the small female humanoid to work, but the Dust knew from the scrap of parchment that anything was acceptable to the female humanoid.

The female humanoid known as Eve Smith had two requests written escape and survival.

Since there were no other limiting pieces in the agreement she had written with such haste, the Dust believed there would be no issues. Moving back into the female humanoid’s body it devoured the wounded arm, and a leg on the same side of the body. There was no other option, as the merest speck of its own mana being used showed future possibilities of complete annihilation for the precious cargo. The mana from the female, however, allowed it to create purpose made new Dust that bled into the woman’s body altering her mana structures along with her physical composition. While the System was without a doubt, able to change creatures that inhabited it, it was not the only thing in existence that could do so.

The Dust altered the very essence of the female humanoid with itself, changing the way the System viewed her. Were the young woman conscious the string of messages would have been drowned out by the pain of having her body altered at a fundamental level. If she had been able to concentrate through that though, she could have seen several changes.

Dust has altered you!

You have lost an arm to Dust.

You have lost a leg to Dust.

Gained Dust Affinity!

Race altered to Dust Witch!

Class Title altered to Witch of the Dust Library!

Profession altered to Dust-Talisman Librarian!

Level: 500

Race: Dust Witch

Class: Witch of the Dust Library

Profession: Dust-Talisman Librarian

Affinities (4): Paper, Ink, Space, Dust

Staring with pride at the changes, the Dust wrapped the small orb within countless layers of itself. Runes twisted into existence from the Dust in a massive concentric three-dimensional ritual that took moments to flash into existence. With a tiny pop the small orb vanished as it was teleported directly to the Prison Plane on the other side of the Dust. It was the only location reachable before the lifeforms inside the fragile construct were eaten by the corrosive nature of the Void itself.

The Dust fed on the ever-expanding Prison Plane to produce more Dust, while simultaneously preventing the majority of Void creatures from being able to invade. It was a beneficial arrangement the System had used to its advantage, although it wasn’t able to force the Dust to remain were it to desire to leave.

However, the Dust was in no hurry to depart. It had existed before the System and knew how terrible life was when food had been sparse. As such, it generally assisted the System in small matters, especially when such matters provided a never-ending buffet of delicious food. Over the last few eons, it had grown to encompass the Prison Plane, and was one of the main reasons almost no one could escape.

Existing within the Void and cultivating minions like the Ancient Void Terror allowed it to keep informed of many secrets the multi-verse contained. As such, it was well aware that the tiny scrap of parchment was worth more than the dimension it resided in.

A favor from the Divine Butcher was, in single word, priceless.

Once the transportation was complete the Dust wrapped the paper sheet in the same manner. Moments later a runic teleportation circle over a hundred times larger was activated sending the tiny piece of paper wrapped in Dust to the closest Black Hole.

Black Holes were one of the few entrances and exits from the Void, although exiting them required a degree of spatial manipulation that most beings didn’t have. Higher Elements like Space, and Time, were extremely hard for most species to truly understand.

The Dust on the other hand, had no such issues.

Like most creatures that predated the System it was familiar with many of the Higher Elements. In most cases of pre-system creatures, like the Dust such Higher Elements could actually compose one or more portions of their own existence. They were the creatures that could spin dreams, crafting a fantasy into reality with nothing more than will, power, and desire.

The Dust exited the Black Hole into another universe, tired from the trip, it engulfed the nearest galaxy with horrific speed. Entire civilizations were wiped from existence in a self-multiplying tide of silver death as the Dust created a smaller version of the main body from the galaxy’s remains. Within its new form, a tiny scrap of paper served as the core protected by countless miniscule runes in a shimmering barrier of absolute stasis.

Using the energy from the quick meal, the Dust searched the System for the location that would allow it to contact the entity who could pay the favor. In order to travel faster the Dust compacted its form into a silver figure on a board reminiscent of something from the female humanoid’s memories.

While the memories were strange, the Dust had to admit amusement.

If it ever encountered a creature devouring entire planets for their life force, it would be certain to snack on them. Why a creature would devour planets instead of consume suns for nourishment made no sense to the Dust. Granted, a creature like that would likely fall prey to a number of other entities before the Dust could snack on them. Runes ripples on the silver figure’s body, engulfing both the board and the body attached to it. Within moments nothing but an expanding flash of silver light was left to be eaten by the Black Hole.

Travel for the Dust was far different than a mortal species, by combining both Space and Time. The two Higher Elements allowed it to travel vast distances between moments. Since it had already sated its hunger, many of the galaxies it passed in transit were spared. There were a few humanoids that attempted to halt its progress, but they became food. Why idiots couldn’t reign their curiosity in, instead of interrupting it, the Dust would never understand.

Mortals were beyond the comprehension of eldritch entities.

After a solid slice of Time and Space, the Dust finally arrived at a massive Prime World. While it didn’t fear any other entities, there was always the chance the paper it carried could be obliterated in battle. As such, it took great care when entering the Prime World to be polite, respectful, and non-aggressive. There was a small altercation with a Dragon that wanted to seal the Dust into its Hoard, but that was resolved by an Ancient Dragon.

After the Ancient explained that the most likely outcome was the Dust eating the entire Hoard, then the younger Dragon, things moved along nicely. Sensing the opportunity to get directions, the Dust communicated its needs to the Ancient Dragon. With a tragic outcome, it was forced to part with a one percent portion of the fifty percent chunk from the favor it was preparing to call in.

Such a price was obscene, but the Dust took the loss in stride.

Forty-nine percent of priceless was still…priceless.

Right?

Right.

After getting directions, the Dust finally made its way to a known contact point for the Cult of Darkness. A small negotiation later and the Cult was convinced to contact their Master. The Dust didn’t care that such an action required the sacrifice of ninety percent of the Cult, and neither did the Cult’s leaders. Those who were not sworn to the Darkness personally, were nothing more than fodder for such rituals.

Half a day after the ritual was completed, a fragment of the Darkness descended upon the world. The entire remaining Cult was ecstatic as their Lord descended on the Prime World. Half the world was unable to feel the sun’s touch as the fragment expanded from the summoning ritual’s center-point. The Dust dealt with a few idiots who attempted to interfere with the fragment of the Darkness. This close to completing its goals, no hero of justice, or other such nonsense was allowed to interfere.

“Why have you called me?” the Darkness fragment asked, red eyes shining with unholy light.

“Favor owed.” the Dust said, releasing the paper from its core for the fragment of Darkness to look upon.

There was a pause as the Darkness fragment froze upon reading the tiny scrap of paper sheet. Then the Dust felt reality shift as a massive amount of will suddenly inhabited the fragment of Darkness.

“Tell me more.” the Darkness, known as Matt Smith, said.

The Dust explained everything from the Ancient Void Terror to sending the female humanoid into the Prison Plane. When it described eating the young woman’s arm and leg to fuel the alterations, Matt Smith fluctuated in anger. It was only after explanation by the Dust that without such changes the woman would have died, that the fragment calmed.

“I agree to honor this. Ask, and you will receive.” Matt Smith said speaking not only to the Dust but to those of the Cult still alive.

The Dust smiled, and began writing a list of requests in runes.

There were a great many things the eldritch creature and his minion wanted, and Matt Smith was never stingy.